Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.
-Martin Luther King Jr.
Just a quick post to thank the community for a beautiful Martin Luther King Day celebration this Monday. I was so proud of the Lower Schoolers for their performance of Sally Rogers' "What Can One Little Person Do," especially our enthusiastic soloists who only had two weeks to prepare for the big show! If participation in the choir and drumming group continues to grow at this rate, we'll need to rent out a coliseum by 2012... it was quite a rush to play Brazilian rhythms with 50+ drummers and percussionists, from first-year Lower Schoolers to grandparents. The large gospel choir brought the audience to its feet. The words of Martin Luther King Jr. are every bit as relevant–and inspirational–as they were when he first spoke them. Hearing his words and those of other civil rights activists between heartfelt performances and worshipful silence was beyond powerful.
Before this year's celebration, I didn't know the history of the MLK holiday. One of our own teachers, Henry Walker, read a letter he wrote that was published in Newsweek in the early 1980s in support of the holiday. We also heard Ronald Reagan's moving words in support of the new holiday. I hope that communities far and wide will continue to work to make this day more than the tail end of a 3-day weekend, but a day of celebration, service, and reflection. And large drumming ensembles!
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